Romney creates new controversy in Israel

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney left behind new controversy on his overseas trip after saying Israelis are outpacing Palestinians in economic growth because of their “culture.”

A Palestinian Authority spokesman shot back that Israel’s checkpoints and choke holds on goods entering and leaving Gaza and the occupied West Bank contribute much to the disparity.

At a fundraiser before leaving for Poland, Romney showered Israel with praise, saying:

“As you come here and see (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a starkly dramatic difference in economic vitality.”

Romney said he knows the reason. “Culture makes all the difference, culture makes all the difference,” he told donors. “And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things.”

Using World Bank figures, The Washington Post reported that the actual disparity is much greater, with the Israeli’s per capita at $31,282 and the Palestinians at only $1,600.

Saed Erekat, a senior adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, described Romney’s remarks as “racist” in an interview with the Associated Press.

“It is a racist statement and this man doesn’t realize that the economy cannot reach its potential because there is an Israeli occupation,” said Erekat. “It seems to me this man lacks information, knowledge, vision and understanding of this region and its people.”

The Romney quotes were taken from a pool report on the fundraiser. A posh earlier fundraiser, with Las Vegas gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson, was closed to media coverage.

En route to Poland, Romney senior adviser Stuart Stevens insided to reporters: “This was not in any way an attempt to slight the Palestinians, and everybody knows that.”

The trip did not improve in Poland. Greta Van Susteren of Fox News, Romney’s favorite TV network, reported from the scene:

“There has been no press access to Governor Romney since we landed in Poland. We (press) are in a holding pattern. I can’t help but feel a bit like the press is in a modified petting zoo since we are trapped in a bus while Polish citizens take pictures of us.”